Chinese athletes shine with strong performances on snow

<article><section data-type="rtext"><img data-alt="Photo: Li Hao/GT" src="//img.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files/imageDir/dbd92705e976eda948993046c29c894f.jpeg?imageView2/2/w/750" />China's snow sports athletes delivered a surge of momentum toward the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Saturday in Beijing, capturing multiple World Cup titles just hours before the Milan-Cortina Olympic torch began its 63-day journey across Italy. The wins, spanning snowboard big air, freestyle skiing aerials, and halfpipe, marked one of the strongest collective statements from China's winter sports team this season as preparations enter a decisive phase. At Beijing's Shougang Big Air venue on Saturday, Olympic champion Su Yiming claimed the men's snowboard big air title at the FIS World Cup with a total of 181.00 points. The final brought together 10 of the world's top riders, including three from China, Su, Ge Chunyu and rising 16-year-old Zhao Yingxu. Su triumphed through the first two rounds as the highlight of the match came before the final round, when Japan's Aoi Kimura briefly overtook him with a 91.25-point jump, placing immense pressure on Su's final attempt. Su ended up repeating his switch backside 1980 melon grab, this time with a longer grab and cleaner form, and landed to a roar from the Beijing crowd, earning 92.00 points to reclaim the top spot. "Today almost no one made mistakes," he said. "For the audience, this is the best kind of competition, but for the riders, it means huge pressure. I'm just happy we presented such an exciting show." The venue carries deep meaning for Su as he earned glory there, including Olympic gold and his World Cup title. It was also seen as a comeback by many sports commentators and fans. "Last season injuries left him struggling but I continued seeing him training and trying to return to his peak. Seeing him saying he 'would turn last place into the top of the podium' brought me tears," a spectator surnamed Lu told the Global Times on Sunday. Su stressed that despite back-to-back wins, his focus is fixed on Milan. "Today is only the beginning, a key challenge on the road to the Winter Olympics. I'll take it step by step and prepare for my final goal in Milan." On the other side, teammate Liu Mengting secured silver in the women's freestyle big air after successfully completing a 1440 for the first time in competition. Having avoided attempting the trick in 2024 out of fear of failure, she said the venue had now become "a psychological support point," helping her gain stability and confidence ahead of the Games. Elsewhere, in Chongli, North China's Hebei Province, in the women's freeski halfpipe at the Snow League China stop, two-time Olympic champion Gu Ailing claimed her first win of the 2025-26 season after three head-to-head heats. She defeated Canada's Cassie Sharpe in the quarterfinals and overcame teammates Li Fanghui and Zhang Kexin in the semifinals and finals to secure the title, with China sweeping the podium. "The race was exhilarating, and it's amazing that China took the top three spots," Gu said. Her victory comes after nearly a year marked by consecutive injuries, including a crash at the Aspen X Games that forced her to miss the Harbin Asian Winter Games, followed by another accident in August. She returned to on-snow training in September after months of daily 10-hour rehab sessions. In Finland, aerials veteran and Beijing 2022 champion Xu Mengtao opened her season with her 39th World Cup gold, her 30th individual title, after landing a high-difficulty routine worth 89.29 points. "This stop was really tough, but I did it," she wrote afterward. "Standing in the wind and fog, it was the strength of my team that brought me to a new milestone." At 35, Xu continues to maintain world-class competitiveness, having taken four World Cup golds and a World Championships silver last season. "Time may change, but it has never shaken my passion, love, and respect for aerials," she said. The Chinese men also reached the second round of the aerials final, with Li Tianma finishing fifth and Sun Jiaxu sixth. The next aerials World Cup stop will bring the series to China, with competitions set for December 20-21 in Chongli. As Chinese athletes delivered standout results across continents, the symbolic start of the Olympic countdown unfolded in Rome. On Saturday, the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic torch departed from the Stadio dei Marmi for a 30-kilometer relay through the Italian capital, passing landmarks such as the Colosseum, Imperial Forums, and Trevi Fountain. "It's a beautiful coincidence. As you can see, many Chinese athletes mentioned their goals for Milan in post-competition interviews. Everyone is preparing for Milan, but the torch relay marks the moment we officially enter 'Winter Olympic time.' Compared with the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, I believe we have even more to look forward to in the snow events this time," sports commentator Luo Le told the Global Times on Sunday. "This isn't necessarily about the number of gold medals, but rather about what we're seeing: Veterans like Xu who remain in outstanding form, Liu taking on moves in major competitions that he once considered too risky, Ge emerging as a truly competitive force on the international stage, and many rising stars beginning to shine."</section></article>

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